If a picture tells a thousand words, what do your holiday snaps say about your attitude to travel?

Looking at people's holiday photos may not be your idea of fun but for one researcher it's providing valuable information on how people view four wheel drive tourism in central Australia.

Four wheel drive tourism is a growing market in desert regions however Damien Jacobsen, a researcher from Charles Darwin University, says there is little information on how four wheel drive tourists view their travel.

"People have been four wheel driving for many years but the research side of things has been very minimal," says Damien.

Damien says it's all about joining people in the back of their car as they navigate the dusty outback tracks.

"We're looking at people's experiences on a micro level and the best way of doing that is by joining them while they're four wheel driving out on the tracks and things like photographs can tell us a lot about what they're doing and what they're enjoying," says Damien.

What do the photos reveal?

The photos show that for people embarking on a four wheel drive tour, it's not just as simple throwing a few clothes in a suitcase and booking discount flights.

Rather, four wheel drive tourism is all about the pioneering spirit and going somewhere perhaps a little dangerous, or at least challenging.

"One of the main things that came out was that for people who come into these trips it is often a big deal.

"The desert is one of these frontier areas and it can be dangerous to some who haven't prepared for it so people treat it as quite a significant trip," says Damien.